Jenny Buckner | Paying It Forward

Jenny Buckner paints what she loves and shares that passion with others

By Elizabeth L. Delaney

For painter Jenny Buckner, making art is as much about embracing her passions as it is about creating. Her deep enthusiasm for art serves as a vehicle for her innate love of animals, horticulture, and all aspects of the living world. But while Buckner harnesses these passions in two-dimensional narratives that speak to the eye as well as the heart, she also puts forth her creative energy in acts of wisdom-sharing and empathy.

Buckner grew up in western North Carolina with a bare-bones art education that ended after middle school. Despite that, she continued to be drawn to art. “I just always had an interest in it,” she says. She loved to absorb images visually, and to touch them, to feel the tactile qualities of the paint and canvas. She began purchasing works by local artists at an early age, saving her Christmas and birthday money so she could add pieces to her burgeoning collection.

Although Buckner loved art, she had other passions as well, which she pursued throughout adolescence and into adulthood. Her affection for animals called her toward veterinary medicine for a time, but she let that go after deciding that it might be too emotionally draining. Still interested in the universe of living things, Bucker went on to study horticulture in college and graduate school. But soon after that, she got married, had children, and focused her passion on raising a family.

Then, one day—or, more specifically, one night—more than 20 years ago, the next chapter of her life was revealed. Buckner dreamed that she was destined to become a painter. She felt the presence of a higher power urging her to embrace art. “I had a dream that God wanted me to paint,” she says. “I woke up and could draw anything and even understood the color wheel. It just went from there.”

It wasn’t long before Buckner was expressing her other great loves—animals, flowers, and figures—in arrays of color and light. She studied her subjects, and learned to transform shapes, lines, and patterns into emotionally inspired images. In an act of honor and gratitude, she also made prayer a part of her artistic process.

Today, Buckner continues to paint prolifically. She has shown her work in numerous national exhibitions and competitions, and her paintings have garnered awards and recognition. She runs her own gallery and studio space in Waynesville, NC, which features her oils alongside works by other women artists and artisans. She spends days painting in her studio while minding the gallery, her loyal dogs by her side.

Buckner has continued to channel her great loves into her art, and although she enjoys a broad assortment of subject matter, she typically concentrates on florals and animals, followed by landscapes, figures, and whatever else calls to her. “I have more of a passion for flowers because I have a floriculture degree and animals because I was going to be a veterinarian,” says the artist.

When determining what to paint, Buckner finds that she’s drawn to the texture, color, or flavor of a thing. She respects its unique qualities as well. For instance, each petal of a flower is different, not unlike a snowflake, and she treats it as such. “There’s just something about the translucency of the petals and the heated centers of most of them,” she says. “I have to figure out how the light plays, as well as how to use color temperature and value changes to turn the petals or the forms,” she says.

Buckner has spent her life surrounded by animals, and she dives deep when painting her four-legged friends. She tries to evoke their spiritual characteristics as much as she works to capture their physical attributes. “If you can’t make an emotional connection to the animals through my paintings, then I haven’t done my job,” she says. “I want you to feel my passion for each one.”

Buckner says of her process, “I can’t just paint something I imagine. I have to have a reference.” As such, most of her compositions originate from photographs she has taken. Despite not picking up a paintbrush until she was in her 30s, Buckner has been photographing for decades. Working with a camera has allowed her to amass a large collection of reference material, in addition to affording her a different perspective through which she can relate to her subjects.

While Buckner spends time exploring the outdoors with her camera, trekking through farmland or driving down country roads in search of inspiration, when it’s time to paint, she enjoys the atmosphere of her studio. She likes the controlled environment and having access to all of her supplies and, perhaps most importantly, to her iPod. Buckner’s visual explorations come alive when she’s listening to her favorite music. From Queen to Johnny Cash to Marvin Gaye, the vibrant lyrics and melodies stoke her passion for creating.

Buckner’s faceted brushstrokes emit a visible energy, and her compositions possess an abundance of movement that keeps that energy flowing around the picture plane. Yet her paintings remain grounded in warm undertones that signify the life force in her subjects—animals, plants, and landscapes alike. In this way, she can animate their essence on several visual and emotional levels.

Ultimately, Buckner hopes to impart her empathy and spirituality to viewers through her paintings. She wants to call attention to the unique, often-overlooked subjects that surround us every day. “I want you to feel that this animal or flower is special,” she says. Whether a magnolia petal, a kitten’s face, or a snow-laden path, Buckner believes they’re all extraordinary and worthy of painting.

Although Buckner never went to art school, she has diligently studied other artists’ work, both in museums and galleries, and up close in various workshops. She sees all of these experiences as components of becoming a whole artist. “I’ve been to workshops over the years, and I’ve learned a little something different at every one,” she says. “I’m able to take each special jewel away with me.” She says she still gets a lot out of studying other artists’ work, soaking up their techniques and passions, and feeding her own in the process.

All of this has led Buckner to discover a profound love of teaching. As much as she enjoys sharing her gifts with others, she’s especially interested in how she can reach each student, regardless of their learning style. “I really try to focus on figuring out how they learn so that by the time they leave, everyone understands what I’m trying to teach them,” she says. “Everyone teaches the way they learn. The big thing for me is to figure out how my students learn.”

She currently offers four-day workshops in her studio throughout the year, and they’ve become a favorite destination in her community. “I have a passion for what I do, and I love sharing it,” Buckner says. Indeed, she has found out more about herself and her painting process by teaching others.

In addition to teaching workshops, Buckner opens her studio space periodically for “pray and paint” sessions, in which community members benefit from free studio time—and kind invocations from Buckner. “There’s something special about knowing someone is praying for you,” says the artist. Buckner is quick to empathize with anyone experiencing life’s many challenges and, by way of art, she makes each person feel like they matter.

representation
Buckner Gallery, Waynesville, NC; Legends of the West Fine Art, Santa Fe, NM; www.paintingsbyjenny.com.

This story appeared in the December 2022/January 2023 issue of Southwest Art magazine.